Paper-towel dispenser.



W. 'LAZAR. PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER.

APPLICATION, mm JAN. 19, 1915 1,184,186 Pat entedMayZii, 1916 WITNESSES:

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WILLIAM IlAZAB, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO NATIONAL PAFEIQ, PRODUCTS 00., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

PAPER-TOWEL nIsrENsER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 19, 1915. SerialNo. 3,038.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \YILLLUI LAZAR, a citizen of the United States, residing in the cityand county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Paper-Towel Dispensers','of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus, and pertains especially to a holder and dispenser for paper towels and such articles. I

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical, cheaply constructed holder of-this sort adapted to contain paper, towels, in which the towels consist of a 'series-of interleaved sheets, each sheet being folded approximately centrally upon itself and so interleaved with the next sheet that when the leading end of the bottom-most sheet "in the stack is protruded through a, slot in the container it will enable each towelto be'dra'wn forth successively; there always being exposed a short portion of the leading end of the bottom-most towel to form a sufficient handhold to allow-it t be withdrawn, when desired.

When these towels are folded up once upon themselves theyma-ke a stack of considerable width and this,- combined with the weight of the stack and'the flimsy character ofthese towels,.has made it difficult to make a-suitable container which will allow the towels to .be drawn out without tearing. In otherword's, the extended area covered'by a wide stack of towels like this causes so much friction between the bottom of the stack and its support that ordinarily a towel will be torn in trying to pull it out from beneath the stack and through a slot.

This difficulty isovercome in the present construction as will beseen hereinafter. I The invention consists"of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompany ing drawings in which I Figure l is a front elevation partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

The stack of towels or other articles to be dispensed is represented at A and consists of a series of separate sheets of suitable cheap, absorbent paper, 1 each sheet being folded of the container.

approximately centrally upon itself, with the top leaf of the fold interfolded with the underneath leaf of the next succeeding fold; the underneath leaf of the undermost sheet always providing a leading edge 2 for a purpose later to be described. A stack of this sort folded in this manner may be, as a rule, sixor seven inches in width and about fifteen inches in length. The special holder which I provide for this special stack comprises a box-like structure 3, of suitable dimensions to receive the stack, having a downwardly folding front cover 4 and a lengthwise extending withdrawing slot 5 in the bottom. Any appropriate means as a lock 6, will retain the-cover closed, and a peep slot 7 may be provided to permit obof the holder.

. The present invention resides-in the dis-- position of the slot 5 and the meansemployed to-keep the attack off of the bottom The slot 5 is positioned well toward the front of the container and at a point about one-third of the wayback from the front, thus dividing the bottom of the container into two section 89; the rear section 9 being about twice the Width of the front section 8. I

At suitable points along the length of the rear section 9, and about two-thirds of the way back from the slot, is a series of round knobs 10 which project up into the container just enough to lift the back end of the stack of towels off of the otherwise broad, flat bottom portion 9. The front edge of the stack will be-supported on the narrow front panel or ledge 8, the leading end 2 of the bottommost sheet in thestack projecting through I slot 5. The number of these knobs 10 will depend on the size of the container, but in practice I find that three are suflicient for a container of the dimensions mentioned. In addition to forming restricted antifriction elevations whereon to support the stack their position forward of the back edge of the container allows the sheets as they are drawn through the slot to pull in a rounded curve, as illustrated at 11. This conversion to a rounded curve of the otherwise fiat angular folding of the sheet very much reduces the tearing tension on a sheet so that i the latter may be easily withdrawn without any tearing; From the foregoing it will be 1 supported lightly on the narrow ledge por-- port, at isolated points, the rear side of the stack, while the front side of the stack is tion 8.

Another object in putting-the slot off-center and toward the front is that as the towels are always drawn outwardly and toward the front by an operator more than directly down, so that the portion of the towel in front of the slot is always pulled at an acute c. angle oyer-the front lip of the slot, F i g. 2;

,which the paper towel is drawn, thereby,

preventing it being torn by the otherwise rough edges. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is .A paper towel dispenser comprising a container having a fiat bottpm to directly with a slot arranged forwardly to divide the bottom into a narrow front portion and a broad rear portion lying entirely in the plane of the front portion, and meansat" a point to the rear of the slot and in advance of the back wall of the container to support the stack of towels over the broad rear portion in front of their rear folded edges, whereby the latter are each freely movable support a stack of folded towels and formed in a downward direction to bend gradually on pulling the towel out of the container, w

said means serving to support the remaining towels ofl at the bottom of the container and thereby permit of the towel being exv tracted to pass easily from under the stackand over the broad rear portion of the bot-- tom.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

. ALEXANDER SUREP,

E. PERKINS.

WILLIAM L AZARQ- 

